First time kegging

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RaptorNCBC

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Hey guys,

Just got myself my first kegging system, so I just wanted to get some info as far as best cleaning procedures and keg tapping without a kegerator

thanks guys
 
Right out of the gate, make sure the kegs are really, really clean. Take the keg apart, including all of the posts, dip tubes, lines, o-rings, etc., and soak those in PBW (or similar cleaner) for a few minutes. Then put it back together and fill the keg itself with cleaning solution. Let it sit for 30 minutes, then flush it with CO2 to get the lines clean as well. Repeat if you see any remaining gunk or smell something off.

When you're ready to keg, you'll want to sanitize the keg first. Fill the keg with sanitizer (StarSan or Iodaphor), let sit for a few minutes. While you're doing this, you can spritz some sanitizer into the gas line to santize that as well. Then flush with CO2 to get the beer line sanitized. Then, you're ready to keg.

If you are kegging without cooling the beer down, consult various beer carbonation charts (e.g., http://www.kegerators.com/articles/carbonation-table-pressure-chart.php) to get the pressure right. Carbing is a function of time, pressure, and temperature of the beer. If your beer is relatively warm, you need to up the pressure, otherwise you won't get the right carbonation level.

When it comes to serving, good luck doing that with room temp beer. You'll likely have a lot of foaming problems. So at a minimum, try to clear some space in a refrigerator to cool it down before serving. Cooling the beer down before/during carbonation would be even better.

I'm still working on my keezer, so for the time being I've been using the chest freezer without modification (other than a Johnson controller) and using picnic taps to dispense. Works great while the more permanent set up is in the works.
 
thanks, I ended up using my landlords fridge in the basement, kind of tore it apart and put my keg in there to keep a consistent cool temperature, so everything turned out great
 
Long term tips:

1. If you're not brewing often enough to keep a tap constantly loaded, then clean your beer line between kegs. Most people just fill a spare keg with a gallon or so of StarSan or other sanitizer mixed solution. Then simply hook up to gas @ 2-3 psi and run some through the lines til all the beer is out of them. If you're using a picnic tap, this is even easier since the entire setup is portable.

2. Patience. Your beer can't be carbed and super-drinkable within an hour. It's a process that takes at least 2 days to do properly, and more if you want some age/clarification/etc on the beer.



Oh, and 3. Start making plans for a keezer :)
 
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